WP Builds

Join Nathan Wrigley, Michelle Frechette, Courtney Robertson and Jesse Friedman. This episode covers highlights in the WordPress community, including upcoming events like CloudFest Hackathon, the Open Source Experience conference, and CMSConf. The panel discusses the release of WordPress 6.9, early planning for version 7.0, and new plugins. Other topics include the evolution of responsive block editing, the debate around integrating AI as a core component of WordPress, updates to the Global Partnership program, and reflections on Black Friday purchases. The discussion talks about collaboration, innovation, and adapting to emerging technologies while maintaining an open, user-focused approach.

Anne-Mieke Bovelett, a seasoned digital accessibility consultant and web designer, shares her journey leading an award-winning project at the CloudFest Hackathon. She highlights the moral and practical aspects of digital accessibility, stressing its importance, particularly for infographics in medical contexts. Anne-Mieke discusses the creation of an AI-powered WordPress plugin that converts infographics into accessible formats. The conversation also explores the challenges of funding post-hackathon projects and the need for better sponsor involvement in future events.

On "This Week in WordPress #358," Nathan Wrigley, Michelle Frechette, Davinder Singh Kainth and Marc Benzakein discuss the release of WordPress 6.9, including new features like block-level collaboration and accessibility improvements. They cover WordPress community news, ongoing Black Friday deals, trending plugins, and the growing impact of AI. The episode also highlights awards within the WordPress space and the rise of WordPress in non-English markets, especially Asia. The panel shares laughs, personal stories, and their appreciation for contributors driving the platform forward.

In this episode, Nathan Wrigley chats with Dave Grey about Nag Me Not, a plugin and browser extension designed to clean up WordPress admin screens by removing nagging banners and ads. The conversation explores the unique approach Dave is taking to market and sell the tool, partnering with hosting providers and service companies to offer Nag Me Not as a free benefit to their customers, potentially reducing support payloads and enhancing the user experience. They discuss this sponsorship-based model, its benefits for hosts, and invite listener insights on pricing and distribution.

In "This Week in WordPress Episode 357," Nathan Wrigley, Michelle Frechette, Steve Burge, and Marcus Burnette cover a playful Cards Against Humanity Black Friday sale, Michelle’s tech award nomination, and the upcoming WordPress 6.9 release. They discuss the return of a three-release cycle for WordPress, plans for core AI integration, and recent Cloudflare outages. Other topics include WordPress security mishaps, accessibility, PublishPress plugin updates, creating a Wapuu for WordCamp Asia, and the new AI Experiments canonical plugin. The episode blends WordPress news, community events, and lively discussion. Oh, and dad jokes!

In this episode, Nathan Wrigley chats with Jonathan Jernigan about Pie Calendar, a simple-yet-powerful WordPress event calendar plugin. They discuss the plugin’s evolution, including major new features like Eventbrite and ICS calendar integration for easy ticketing and syncing with external calendars. Jonathan also shares insights into his WordPress-focused community and YouTube channel. The conversation highlights Pie Calendar’s user-friendly setup, flexibility for different organisations, and the team’s focus on simplicity. Future plans for additional integrations are teased, as well as stories of how a wide range of clients, from breweries to city councils, use the plugin. Go listen...

In this episode, I'm joined by Taco Verdonschot, Jonathan Bossenger, Birgit Pauli-Haack to discuss WordPress 6.9, including new blocks, performance improvements, accessibility updates, and upcoming live events to help users prepare for the release. The panel pays tribute to WordPress contributor Zeel Thakkar, and covers news about a new leader at Jetpack, Black Friday deals, and community appreciation initiatives. They also highlight developer resources and recent plugin launches, making this a comprehensive update on what's happening in the WordPress ecosystem.

In this episode, Nathan Wrigley chats with Rodolfo Melogli about the growing isolation in the WooCommerce and WordPress communities due to remote work and AI, and his mission to “bring humans back” through in-person interaction. Rodolfo shares his journey as a WooCommerce expert, the challenges of working remotely, and the inspiration for organising Checkout Summit, a people-focused, content-rich WooCommerce event in Palermo designed to foster genuine connections, collaboration, and community in a relaxed, inclusive setting. If you’ve been feeling the effects of remote work and the rise of automation, or simply want a better way to connect with your fellow WordPress peers, this episode is for you.

In "This Week in WordPress #355," Nathan Wrigley, Michelle Frechette, and Rhys Wynne discuss the Kagi search engine, Michelle's job search, and WordPress updates including 6.9’s new features like collaborative editing and abilities API. The episode covers the challenges faced by open source projects like FFmpeg, security concerns with AI-powered tools such as Telex, the Global Partner Program for WordPress event sponsorships, and developments in full site editing, highlighting the Ollie theme. Listener comments add depth to discussions about the future and risks of WordPress plugin and block creation through AI.

In this episode, Nathan Wrigley chats with Nick Hamze, a quirky and creative force in the WordPress community. Nick shares his unconventional journey from law school to working at Automattic, running a wildly successful Pokémon card shop, and building unique WordPress blocks using AI tools like Telex. Their conversation gets into the joy of creating weird, fun projects, the empowering possibilities of AI for non-coders, and the importance of injecting creativity and personal touch back into the web. If you’ve wondered how AI tools can transform your workflow, felt weighed down by the pressure to build serious, polished things, or just want to be reminded why fun and experimentation are so important in WordPress, this episode is for you. Go listen...